Saturday 5 August 2023

The Flower Challenge #83 - Add Spots or Stripes


August, not that you’d know it by the weather here in England ! Still, avoid getting wet by staying indoors and joining us for our new Challenge over at The Flower Challenge and this month we want to see spots or stripes!

I as usual cursed when trying to get a photo of the sparkle in the glitter paste stripes on my card! I used a Presscut rectangle die to add it to the card base. I watercoloured some of the flowers from the Tim Holtz Flower Garden stamp set and fussy cut them and added them giving a little dimension with gel medium. Simples! 










Saturday 15 July 2023

The Flower Challenge #82 Reminder - Clean & Simple



Yup, it’s time for a reminder about our current challenge over at The Flower Challenge and this month we want to see your clean and simple creations. 

I used a flower made with Heartfelt Creations Wild Roses Collection (still can’t believe they’re retiring and closing the business, although I totally understand why they are). I added some Craft Artist pollen in dark brown to the centres. I used some Bloomar Designs leaves which I coloured with watercolour markers, I couldn’t get an accurate colour of the photograph, they’re not as green as they look! I also used some other snip art flourishes that I added some iridescent glitter to. To finish, as I was making the card for a colleague’s birthday, I added a sparkly number and of corse, couldn’t resist a squiggle round the edge of the card! As ever, I can’t wait to see your makes and don’t forget to checkout my teamies fab creations too.



Tuesday 4 July 2023

The Flower Challenge #82 Clean & Simple

Yes, it’s time for our new challenge over at The Flower Challenge and this month we want to see your clean and simple creations.

I raided my bit box for this challenge, using some Altenew images that I’d previously stamped and fussy cut. I added an Elizabeth Crafts sentiment and doodled a border. Definitely simple and I even managed to avoid ink smudges this time! 

As ever, I can’t wait to see your creations and please check out my teamies and our wonderful guest DT creations. 




Sunday 11 June 2023

The Flower Challenge #81 Reminder - Use Your Favourite Flower

I’m back with our half way reminder for our challenge over at The Flower Challenge and this time we want you to use your favourite flower.

So, you can’t get much different from a dandelion, than a half-hardy over the top frilly fuschia! Got to love their drama or understated elegance of the hardy version. We won’t mention how the mild winter, then hard frost, helpfully pruned mine from 4 foot diameter to 8 inches!   

I dug out an older but definitely favourite flower set from Clearly Besotted for this card. It’s a multi layer stamp set and I used Pink Fresh Inks to stamp with, before using the matching die to cut out and them layered them up. They’re all the same colour, but the camera makes some look more pink! Obviously, I added a doodled border! There weren’t supposed to be any sparkle bits added to the card, but I dropped my ink pad and stamp when I was tidying up… moral of the story, tidy as you go! 

Don’t forget to visit my amazing teamies and our fab guest DT for more inspiration and I can’t wait to see your creations! 



Sunday 4 June 2023

The Flower Challenge #81 Use Your Favourite Flower



I’ve been AWOL for a bit, life definitely got in the way of crafting!  I’m back to celebrate the start of our next challenge over at The Flower Challenge and this time we want you to use your favourite flower. I owe a big thank you to them all for allowing me to take a step back over the last few months. 

Yes, dandelions are one of my favourite flowers. I was sad when they mowed the school field behind my house decapitating the host of yellow flowers. The other reason I love them, is free food for the bunnies. We won’t mention how a few years ago I trekked across the country, paid for a hotel and did a course on foraging for rabbits, only to discover that their favourites were dandelions! Thanks, Bramble and Parsley! Fortunately my current bunnies have more varied tastes. 

I used the Lavinia Dandelion stamp for my card. I created a distress oxide background blending and smooshing Wilted Violet and Shaded Lilac. I also smooshed a purple Craft Artist Gold Fusion ink pad on my craft mat, spritzed with a little water and tapped my card onto that too. Sentiment is from an old Clearly Besotted set. Obviously, I doodled a border and added a touch of glitter to finish. 

As ever don’t forget to check our my amazing teamies and fantastic guest DT’s work


Gratuitous photo of my bridge bunnies, Bramble (left) and Parsley (right) stuffing their faces with dandelions!


Saturday 15 October 2022

The Flower Challenge #73 Reminder - Use a Sentiment

 It’s our 6th Birthday over at The Flower Challenge! To celebrate our birthday we have lots of amazing prizes on offer, so don’t forget to check out the rules on our blog when you enter as we’d hate you to miss out! I’ve shamelessly cut and pasted all the prize details from our blog further down…

Don’t  forget to check out my amazing teamies work and join our birthday celebrations! 

I rustled up a quick birthday card for my reminder post, using a Sue Wilson die set I’ve had for ages, I think it’s her Austrian Background and the sentiment is a Sue wWilson one too. The flourishes are Sizzix Adorned and I have no idea what die I used to cut the foam for the flowers as they were just in a pile of leftover petals! 

We have lots of PRIZES for our lucky winners this month too, see list below. They will all be allocated on a random basis. As usual we will choose one person to be our overall winner but all winners will get prizes.

Please note that you can find us on facebook and also Instagram too. Our Instagram page is @theflowerchallenge2...remember the 2 at the end ;) 

Please don't forget to use your Florals as always and as the Main feature on your card.
Only 6 other challenges allowed as well as our own.
Also please take a few minutes to read our rules in the tab above as you may lose out on winning prizes this time too. Bought flowers or ones just cut out from design paper alone are NOT allowed. If in any doubt, please do ask.

Here is a list of the fabulous PRIZES we are giving away this month as it is our 6th Birthday! Our fearless leader (Chief Petal) Aileen is also generously giving away some stencil sets and stamps too.






Gift card worth £15



Aileen (DT)

Stencil sets










 




Stamp set plus another mystery crafty surprise gift !








A few sets of her amazing colouring panels









$20 gift code for digital stamps






(via Aileen)





















 

Tuesday 4 October 2022

The Flower Challenge #73 - Use a Sentiment - 6th Birthday Celebration!


Oh my word! It’s our 6th Birthday over at The Flower Challenge! I can’t believe it was 6 years ago since the fantastic Aileen invited me to enjoy her new idea. I can’t believe either that they haven’t kicked me out (although I suspect it’s been very tempting a few times!). It’s been a fantastically supportive team over the past 6 years and has been my motivation to craft regularly throughout some challenging times. 

To celebrate our birthday we have lots of amazing prizes on offer, so don’t forget to check out the rules on our blog when you enter as we’d hate you to miss out! I’ve shamelessly cut and pasted all the prize details from our blog further down…

I made a very simple card using my new John Next Door Hellebore and Majestic Ivy stamps and dies on a kraft card base. I think the sentiment may be Paper Boutique, but I’ve no idea where the packaging is to confirm that! 

Don’t  forget to check out my amazing teamies work and join our birthday celebrations! 

We have lots of PRIZES for our lucky winners this month too, see list below. They will all be allocated on a random basis. As usual we will choose one person to be our overall winner but all winners will get prizes.

Please note that you can find us on facebook and also Instagram too. Our Instagram page is @theflowerchallenge2...remember the 2 at the end ;) 

Please don't forget to use your Florals as always and as the Main feature on your card.
Only 6 other challenges allowed as well as our own.
Also please take a few minutes to read our rules in the tab above as you may lose out on winning prizes this time too. Bought flowers or ones just cut out from design paper alone are NOT allowed. If in any doubt, please do ask.

Here is a list of the fabulous PRIZES we are giving away this month as it is our 6th Birthday! Our fearless leader (Chief Petal) Aileen is also generously giving away some stencil sets and stamps too.






Gift card worth £15



Aileen (DT)

Stencil sets










 




Stamp set plus another mystery crafty surprise gift !








A few sets of her amazing colouring panels









$20 gift code for digital stamps






(via Aileen)